U14 Boys

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Ok, ok, ok. You have convinced me. I am going to search for a team filled with unathletic, small, slow, and tripping all over themselves kids. As long as they can strike and trap the ball well, that should be enough to rise them to the top. That sounds perfect.

I'm glad I was smart enough to come to talking soccer to set me straight.

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You try to make it a simple concept, and I suspect in your mind you are picturing black and white examples of athletic and non-athletic kids so you believe what you say rings true, but you are simply wrong.

Athleticisim is a broad description for a lot of things including co-ordination, balance, spatial awareness, and speed. None of these things are present at birth. They all come about as a child grows and develops. Who hasn't witnessed the child soccer prodigy who hits a growth spurt and gets the clumsies and struggles to maintain their game?

The reality however is if a kid has developed the skills and intelligence, more than likely they have become reasonably athletic. They may not be your sprinters, but not everyone's game demands that.

A quality coach should be able to recognize the state of each area (athletic ability, skill, and soccer IQ) and set a priority for developing them. There absolutely are ways to develop each of these areas, and the people who show up as "natural athletes" or "gifted" are the ones who have worked the hardest. A coach saying "just give me the athletes" is a sad statement on the level of our coaching. You take 18-20 kids, show them the drills and homework that will develop these three areas, and then see which kids jump for the ring. If they don't jump for the ring they don't have the motivation to grow to the next level.

That is a simple concept to understand

THANK YOU! I don't understand why people just aren't getting it. Speed and power is also tied to age and muscle development. Check out the scrawny kid who's slow. A few years later, he hits puberty and gains speed and bulks up. There's also the super fast kid who doesn't look as fast because others have caught up. Then, what it comes down to is who has the skills and smartness. One more thing: If a kid has great skills, wouldn't you say he's athletic?

[Unregistered]

Not true at all. You can make up for lack of athleticism with intelligence and skill. If you have no skill you will be exposed by U14. One of the boys on our team is not athletic. He's small, slow, and trips over his own feet in occasion. But he has one if the best first touches I've ever seen and the field vision to match. He can also strike the ball with the best.

If he has one of the best first touches and can strike the ball well, he IS athletic. Wait till he goes through his growth spurt and he will "look" more athletic to you :)

Look at the Copa U14 boys, many of them are small and not terribly fast with the exception of one (who's the smallest). T

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Soccer comes down to personal opinion. What one coach likes in a player another doesn't. If you look at the Timbers U16 and U18 Academy teams, there's really not a player that has all 3 attributes. Maybe you haven't been around club soccer long enough. I've also seen many fast bullets fail due to their lack of skills and smartness. So....please don't say who and who won't make this or that. Thank you

Um, have you actually been to an Academy game? The one common thread of each of those players is that they have speed. In fact, I cannot think of a single player that would be considered otherwise. All of them have skill and smarts although those components vary from player to player. The best players obviously have an abundance of all 3.

Maybe it is you that have not been around club soccer long enough? Or maybe you are just not as clear on what you are seeing on the field.

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Um, have you actually been to an Academy game? The one common thread of each of those players is that they have speed. In fact, I cannot think of a single player that would be considered otherwise. All of them have skill and smarts although those components vary from player to player. The best players obviously have an abundance of all 3.

Maybe it is you that have not been around club soccer long enough? Or maybe you are just not as clear on what you are seeing on the field.

Yep everyone for that matter. And no, not all have speed. Many have skills and smarts. There's only a few who have all 3.

[Unregistered]

If he has one of the best first touches and can strike the ball well, he IS athletic. Wait till he goes through his growth spurt and he will "look" more athletic to you :)

Look at the Copa U14 boys, many of them are small and not terribly fast with the exception of one (who's the smallest). T

I'm wondering if their lack of size and speed is finally catching up to them? Aren't they winless in league and just lost to the B team with more size and speed, players who may be starting to catch them in skill / field awareness?

Honestly just asking. I don't know the teams well enough to really have a say.

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Yep everyone for that matter. And no, not all have speed. Many have skills and smarts. There's only a few who have all 3.

Yes, they do all have speed. Couldn't disagree with you more. I guess you and I should stop conversing because we clearly are on opposites sides of the spectrum. These boys have speed, and lots of it, no doubt.

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I'm wondering if their lack of size and speed is finally catching up to them? Aren't they winless in league and just lost to the B team with more size and speed, players who may be starting to catch them in skill / field awareness?

Honestly just asking. I don't know the teams well enough to really have a say.

I think they're losing because they're not playing as a team. The team has definitely played against bigger stronger and faster and won, but that was when they were making those passes.

Sambas coach demanded the boys only have two touches at most.

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Um, have you actually been to an Academy game? The one common thread of each of those players is that they have speed. In fact, I cannot think of a single player that would be considered otherwise. All of them have skill and smarts although those components vary from player to player. The best players obviously have an abundance of all 3.

Maybe it is you that have not been around club soccer long enough? Or maybe you are just not as clear on what you are seeing on the field.

All three vary. There are some guys out there who aren't super fast. They're fast enough, but they're not out and out fast. Where they're the most alike is skills. Where there is the most difference is smarts. Smarts also makes them look faster and more skilled because they can play fast and efficiently.

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All three vary. There are some guys out there who aren't super fast. They're fast enough, but they're not out and out fast. Where they're the most alike is skills. Where there is the most difference is smarts. Smarts also makes them look faster and more skilled because they can play fast and efficiently.

Agreed!

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Weekend Predections

NEU vs WAFC: WAFC
Crossfire vs Copa: Copa
Samba vs Bend: Bend

HR vs NEU: HR
WAFC vs Bend: WAFC
Samba vs Crossfire: Crossfire

[Unregistered]

Um, have you actually been to an Academy game? The one common thread of each of those players is that they have speed. In fact, I cannot think of a single player that would be considered otherwise. All of them have skill and smarts although those components vary from player to player. The best players obviously have an abundance of all 3.

Maybe it is you that have not been around club soccer long enough? Or maybe you are just not as clear on what you are seeing on the field.

Maybe that's their problem. Shouldn't pick speed over skill.

[Unregistered]

If he has one of the best first touches and can strike the ball well, he IS athletic. Wait till he goes through his growth spurt and he will "look" more athletic to you :)

Look at the Copa U14 boys, many of them are small and not terribly fast with the exception of one (who's the smallest). T

So in your argument anyone who has skills in soccer is athletic? Sorry but that is just not true. Some kids have to work twice as hard. How are you defining athletic?

[Unregistered]

I'm wondering if their lack of size and speed is finally catching up to them? Aren't they winless in league and just lost to the B team with more size and speed, players who may be starting to catch them in skill / field awareness?

Honestly just asking. I don't know the teams well enough to really have a say.

I highly doubt that. Look back at JB's old team. They finished around 5th-6th in the fall league but won State Cup. He's attempting to make them play a better style of soccer and to work as a team. You have to a sacrifice some wins for that. Not to mention at U14 some of the boys are 5ft tall and others are 6ft. It will all start to even out in the next year or so.

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So in your argument anyone who has skills in soccer is athletic? Sorry but that is just not true. Some kids have to work twice as hard. How are you defining athletic?

Skills and field vision (soccer IQ) are not acquired overnight. In fact they take many years of work. If someone has put in the time and effort to acquire a high level of skills, then it is a reasonable assumption they will have acquired some athletic ability. You won't build skills just going through the motions at a training session. The sprinting to beat an opponent to the ball, the jumping as headers and airplay is practiced, etc...will develop a child athletically.

Absolutely they can fine tune and take to a higher level, but I believe to acquire skills, and knowledge, you will also acquire athletic ability.

To your second point, there is no equal work/equal reward. Some work harder than others, some may be better jumpers and sprinters, some may be able to kick the skin off a ball, and some may just have such good anticipation they always manage to be in the right place. Each of these is desirable in soccer. That being the case, you cannot define Athletic as one trait, it is a lot more than that. Judging athleticism and using as a qualifier to play then is kind of a fool's errand.